


Wedding Bells

by roo2010



Series: My Life with Tom [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 11:01:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18570085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roo2010/pseuds/roo2010
Summary: As it says in the title, Tom and Jackie get married





	Wedding Bells

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it here from Ready for Love Again? Well done :-) I hope you enjoy the next stage of their story.
> 
> If you are new to this couple, welcome. it's not necessary to read the first part (but I won't complain if you do!)

                             Wedding Bells

 

The morning after the night before we were all still buzzing from the positive vibes that the meet and greet had given us. As I looked around the dining room at Tom’s co-stars and friends all I could see was happy smiling faces. The general mood seemed to be, that given the chance, this was something they’d all like to do again. Tom, Luke and I went round every table, thanking people for their time, especially as both sessions over ran by an hour or more.

Today, however, was a day for relaxing. The spa in the hotel was available for anyone who cared to use it, all treatments free as part of the package. Lizzie, Emma and I had already decided that we were going to have a full manicure in preparation for tomorrow and thought it would be nice if Lucy and Caitlin had a mini manicure and India had her nails painted too so we all trooped off to the nail salon, picking up Diana on the way. The technicians dealt with India first, just a pale pink shade for her but she was made to feel so special and chattered away excitedly all the time, she seemed particularly taken with the nail dryer, giggling as it blew air over her tiny fingers. Once she was finished it was time for Lucy and Caitlin to have their turn, they had never had a manicure before and watched everything avidly as their nails were filed and painted a slightly darker shade of pink than India’s. A few seconds under the nail dryer and then a top coat, nail dryer again and they were set. Their mother, Susan, took them off to play for a while with strict instructions to mind their hands for the next hour.

Then it was time for Diana, Lizzie, Emma, and I, we all sat close to each other and gossiped, giggled and chatted as our hands were cleansed, then our nails were filed and shaped. A thick layer of moisturiser was applied, our hands were placed in plastic bags and then into heated mitts, a warm wheat bag across the back of our necks and the next twenty minutes were spent relaxing. The mitts seemed to have a heating and cooling cycle which helped the moisturiser to be absorbed which felt strange at first but I soon got used to it. When the twenty minutes were up the mitts and bags were removed and we were treated to a wonderful hand massage. The feeling in my hands alone was enough to convince me that a full body massage was not too far in my future! Hand massage over we picked the shades of nail polish we wanted. Diana picked a dusky rose pink to go with her outfit, Lizzie and Emma had the same shade of green again to match what they were wearing the next day and mine was a dark emerald green. After a bit of giggling and discussion Lizzie and Emma had also decided to have a gold glitter coat on top of the mid green colour they had chosen. On hearing this my technician immediately asked me what embellishments I wanted on my nails. I wasn’t wearing false nails, I didn’t want them to get in the way so there wasn’t a great amount of room but my technician assured me that she would be able to do some nail art if I wanted. I said yes straight away, she dug around in a side drawer for a few seconds and produced a gold nail pen and a few tiny gold gems. I said I was worried about the gems catching on clothes during the day and she assured me that with a top coat to smooth any edges that wouldn’t be a problem.

A base coat was applied first and dried under a UV dryer to make the process quicker. Two layers of my dark emerald green were applied and dried and then we started with the gold. A few deft strokes of the pen and there was a perfect tiny flower on my ring finger nail. A gem was applied to the centre and I admired the result, the same was done to the ring finger on the other hand to keep everything symmetrical. Bigger, more elaborate flowers were created on my thumbs again with gem centres. My other finger nails were decorated with botanical style swirls and curls, each nail matching its counterpart on the opposite hand and the finished effect was stunning. A couple more gems in bare patches of polish completed the look and then after a quick stint under the UV light the final top coats were applied and dried. I was warned to be careful for about an hour which I decided was just the right amount of time for a cup of coffee so we all went to have some refreshment.

Coffee and cake over I decided it was time for that full body massage I’d promised myself and headed back to the spa. The massage was every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be and I was soon floating in a haze of lavender scented air as an experienced masseuse managed to get every single one of my muscles to relax at the same time, effectively banishing for now any pre-wedding nerves. Massage over it was still only early afternoon so I wandered up to our room to try and keep the feeling of relaxation. Tom was nowhere to be found which was probably a good thing for my relaxation levels so I decided to have a lie down on the bed.

The next thing I knew was gentle caresses to my hair and cheek and Tom ever so softly calling my name. I opened my eyes to a sight I would never get tired of, a gently smiling Tom leaning slightly over me trying to get me to wake up.

“Hello Darling” he said softly

“Hello Love, are you OK?”

“Yes, I’m fine, I was sent to find you as no one had seen you for a while. You looked so peaceful it was a shame to wake you”

“But you did anyway” I smiled

“I did anyway!” he chuckled “Come on, do you want a cup of tea?”

“Tea would be lovely, thank you”

Tom helped me from the bed and escorted me downstairs. Preparations for the party that night were well under way, the tables were being set out and I smiled to see all the guests actually pitching in to help. Robert wasn’t actually doing any manual stuff but was busy directing operations and the funny thing was everybody was listening to him and doing what he said, just like he was Tony Stark!

“If anything goes wrong” I whispered to Tom “we can just blame Robert!”

“Good plan” he whispered back and chuckling quietly we went to find me a cup of tea. With my drink in hand we made our way back to the main hall to find that the hotel staff were almost superfluous by now, the only thing our guests were expressly forbidden from doing was anything involving ladders and heights, tables, chairs and table coverings however were fair game and most of them seemed to enjoy pitching in and just being themselves for once.

            The party was acting like our Stag and Hen Nights so there would be guests not staying at the hotel joining us for the evening. It was a good chance for those not famous to see that those who were, were actually ordinary people too, just blessed with an extraordinary talent. Room ready we all left to get ourselves sorted. The logistics of the Bride and Groom took some organising I can tell you. The room Tom and I were currently sharing would be cleaned during the party so as to be ready for a set of guests arriving from London. The Bride and Groom’s separate rooms would be available for us for tonight only as they would house more guests tomorrow night; this meant our clothes had to be moved twice because it would all end up in the Bridal Suite ready for the Wedding Night!

We dressed together, Tom in a mid-blue dress shirt with black trousers, waistcoat and tie, and me in a deep red long line jersey knit skirt with matching long line three buttoned jacket with a lacy cream top underneath. The neckline of the top and jacket were perfectly matched and was deep enough to show off the Hiddleston pendant to its full beauty. I’d taken it off before my massage as I didn’t want it catching anywhere or possibly getting tarnished prematurely by scented massage oils. Smiling I turned to Tom “Can you put this back on for me please?”

He matched my smile with a happy one of his own and said “Certainly Darling, just turn around for me?” I happily complied and very soon those lovely long fingers were fastening the clasp at the nape of my neck. I watched in the mirror as his fingers brushed gently across my skin towards the pendant which was slightly askew. When the pendant was rearranged to his satisfaction the now familiar kiss on the clasp confirmed that all was well and in place. I turned around to face him again and was totally shocked to be pulled into a strong embrace and a passionate kiss.

As he pulled away he said “Sorry. I needed to do that. It’s a long time until we are married and we’d better behave tonight, well behave like vaguely sensible adults” he amended. I giggled, thinking of the guests downstairs, some of the more famous ones not being especially known for their ability to be sensible when they got together, my future husband being one of them!

“Will I have to keep an eye on you tonight?” I asked trying to sound stern.

“No” he said sincerely “I wouldn’t dare mess around too much tonight, my mum and dad will be there!”

My face fell as I was reminded of the two people that I desperately wanted to be there and couldn’t see me be happy again.

Tom’s face mirrored mine as he realised what he’d said “Oh God Jackie. I’m so sorry! I didn’t think about what I was saying” he pulled me close again, no kiss this time just his arms wrapped around me, waiting, I supposed for the tears to start.

“Don’t worry Tom. I’m fine. I know wherever they are they’re happy for me. You are the best thing that could have happened to me, I’m so happy that we met and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.”

He pulled away looking at me intently but I wasn’t lying. I was fine. It had taken a while, and obviously there had been highs and lows but mostly they had been before I met Tom. Since he had come into my life things had been a lot easier. I once again had a partner who cared for me and was happy to listen when I needed to download even if it was sometimes when he could only be at the other end of the phone. Satisfied with whatever he could see in my face his own expression changed like magic and he was happy, smiling Tom again. Extending his arm to me in the time honoured and totally familiar gesture he said simply “Shall we?” I took a last look around the room to check nothing was being left behind, smiling at the large labels on our bags marking them as ‘Bride’ and ‘Groom’. It felt odd having separate of everything but it was necessary because of sleeping in separate rooms that night. Seeing all was packed away and neatly labelled I smiled happily at him, took his proffered arm and said “We shall!”

            We dropped the key at Reception, smiling at the receptionist, the same one who had been so excited to see us on our very first visit. I giggled out loud when I saw that even the keys for the Bride’s and Groom’s rooms for that night had the same elaborate labels as had been given to us for our luggage and were placed as far apart on the board as possible. Tom gave me a strange look but didn’t comment, so luckily I didn’t have to explain myself. I did notice that those particular keys didn’t have a room number attached to them which meant to me that there was little chance of anyone gaining access for mischievous deeds. We’d nominated Diana and James as the only people, apart from us of course, to have the key to our respective rooms and hoped that this would also cut down on the possibility of pranks. The same four people were the only ones allowed the key for the Bridal Suite the following night for the same reasons.

            Moving through to the main hall we were greeted by a round of applause from all present, the volume growing as more people realised we were there. Tom and I both started turning gently pink at the sudden attention. It looked like it was mainly the guests who were already in the hotel that were there but the night was still young. We made our way slowly to the bar, stopping to thank people again for their efforts in the past three days including, of course, sorting out the room for that evening. The smiles on their faces told us everything we needed to know, everyone was currently having a blast, helped no doubt that there were more connections than were immediately apparent among the celebrities and the fact that they were well aware that there was no reason for them to be anything but themselves.

Eddington Court had bent over backwards to accommodate all of our guests childcare needs. We had qualified nannies on a rota and baby monitors in all the rooms where very young children were sleeping, allowing all the parents to enjoy the party and still be appraised should their children need them. There were also discreet monitors in the rooms the older children would be using, small enough that the children would not think they were being treated like babies, but able to give the parents the peace of mind needed to enjoy themselves. A small seldom used room just off Reception had been turned into a crèche for the duration, staffed again by qualified girls from the local ‘nanny’ college which had a branch in Bath.

For the moment all the children except the very young had the dance floor to themselves and were being led in all those brilliant action dances so beloved of eighties and nineties discos. Judging from the amount of adults surreptitiously bopping along to the music played it was a series of songs that may need to be played later, and possibly again tomorrow evening. We found Chris and Elsa at the bar and we chatted whilst waiting for our drinks, a cola for me though I was sure to be on apple juice by the end of the night, and Tom ordered a Jameson and a pint of Guinness having obviously wisely decided that tonight was not the night to get inebriated, Guinness being his drink of choice in those circumstances as it is too heavy to drink much of. Drinks in hand we claimed a table where we had a good view of the door so that we could make sure to greet any new guests but also that we weren’t the first thing they set eyes on.

A huge squeal from Lizzie announced the arrival of The Roses and she raced across the room to greet them. Tom and I proceeded at a slower pace to greet their parents. Lizzie, Abbie, Leah and Shannon wandered over to the stage area to check it out for the next day. There was lots of chattering going on and I assumed they were finalising the play list for the next evening. More guests were arriving and the hall was filling up nicely. The music had switched to something more adult orientated and the younger children were back with their parents, except India, who as soon as she’s spotted Lizzie was off to see her favourite big friend again, grabbing her by the hand and looking for all the world like she was attached for the duration of the night. Tom had hired the same DJ that did our Frome engagement party and he was just as good now as he had been then. It wasn’t long before Robert came up to us and asked me to dance. Tom let go of my waist, where his hand had been most of the night until then, and I took Robert’s hand. It wasn’t a slow song, thank goodness. As I didn’t think it would have been appropriate to dance romantically with anyone but Tom on the night before our wedding, we were joined on the floor by Tom and Susan, Robert’s wife. The music faded and we swapped partners, Tom giving me a gentle kiss on the lips to ‘oohs’ from the assembled crowd. The next song was a bit faster and I decided to sit this one out, Tom opting to join me which was good timing as that was the time my best friend Louise, her husband, Steve, and their four sons turned up. I was overjoyed to see them as Louise had a very special job the do the next day. In the absence of my Dad and Lizzie already having plenty on her plate, I’d asked Louise if she would give me away and to my delight she had said ‘Yes’. I had known her since we were both five, in fact we shared a birthday and that had sparked the friendship to begin with. She had been a steadfast friend, by my side through losing Sean and my parents and actually she had been the first person I’d told about meeting Tom. She heartily approved of him and Tom and Steve had also become good friends when we were in Wiltshire.

The music continued to be fantastic so much so that the floor was hardly ever empty, every slow dance was claimed by Tom and we swayed happily around the floor with our friends. The children’s mix from earlier was replayed to great effect as the whole floor was filled with as many of us as possible, all dancing madly to many wonderful action dances including Agadoo, Superman, The Time Warp, Cha Cha Slide, the Macarena and the perennial favourite The Music Man. Admittedly a couple of those dances caused a lot of confusion with people turning the wrong way more than once. This weekend was going to give me memories to last a lifetime, pride of place tonight, apart from Tom strutting his stuff as gracefully as ever, was Mark Ruffalo trying to be a Lancaster bomber in Music Man, complete with his version of the engine noises. I just had to stop and stare and then burst out laughing as he ran around the dance floor arms out to his sides! There was, of course, plenty of fast music so that Tom and his friends could show off their amazing dance moves.

Around half past ten in the evening Tom and I were standing by the bar, enjoying the sight of all our friends having a lovely time. It was just as we’d hoped, everyone mingling happily with no regard to celebrity status. Suddenly the Marvel theme tune rang out loud in the hall. Tom and I looked at each other in total confusion. Before we’d had a chance to do more than that Hems was moving Tom’s unfinished pint further away from him and Louise was doing the same to my apple juice. Tom opened his mouth to protest but shut it again promptly when he realised he was surrounded by Hems, Evans, Robert, Mark, Jeremy, Ben, and Martin whilst I was being flanked by Amanda, Sophie, Louise, Scarlett, Elsa, Sarah, Emma, and Lizzie all with the same evil grin on their faces.

Hems spoke up “Right you two, its half past ten and you both have a big day tomorrow so it’s officially time for you to go to bed!”

“You are joking!” Tom spluttered out.

“Nope” said Robert “we’re completely serious. Come on Reindeer Games, time for bed!”

Tom looked to me for support but one look from Scarlett doing her best Black Widow stopped him in his tracks once more so he merely shrugged and allowed his escort to move off with him in the middle. It did look faintly ridiculous though as Hems was the only one taller than Tom and that was only by about an inch,

             Once the boys were out of the room my little party moved off too and we headed out to the main staircase. I was surprised to see the boys stopped on the landing where the staircase split into two. I knew Tom’s room for the night was off to the right and mine was to the left so it couldn’t be that they didn’t know where they were going. When I got closer I could see that Tom was standing with his feet firmly planted and his arms crossed over his chest, his whole body giving out the message - Move me at your peril – His face was a study though; his mouth was set in a very thin line and I could tell his jaw was tensed too but his eyes danced and sparkled and I knew that the rest of it was just him doing what he does best, acting his socks off. The boys however hadn’t noticed his eyes and were looking at each other, wondering who would be brave enough to get Tom to try and move.

As I got closer and closer I watched Tom’s eyes; his posture didn’t change one iota but his eyes softened even more the closer I got. When we were just two steps below him on the stairs leading to the small landing the boys were standing on Tom spoke up.

“I told you, I’m not going anywhere without a kiss from Jackie!”

How I kept a straight face I shall never know. He managed to sound menacing and petulant at the same time, but there was a brief wink at me that I’m sure no one else saw. I watched as Hems and Scarlet exchanged glances; they both shrugged and allowed us to meet on the step between us. Tom swiftly embraced me but didn’t kiss me yet, knowing perhaps that once we did we would be ‘separated’ again.

“You OK Darling?” he asked quietly

“Of course” I replied “You?”

“Oh I’m fine, having a blast winding the boys up” he whispered back, even managing to laugh quietly in my ear.

“I saw” I whispered back “you looked very convincing”

“Well it is my job” he smirked

“I know” I countered “but it’s theirs too and I’m surprised that they didn’t call you out on it!”

“Me too” he giggled again “but I’m not complaining”

“Me neither” I agreed “but we’d better kiss soon or they might not let us stay like this much longer”

He sighed “As always, you’re right” and then louder for all to hear “So I’ll see you tomorrow Darling?”

“Yes” I said, matching his volume “You won’t miss me. I’ll be the one in the dress, standing next to you in front of the celebrant”

We both smiled then and he closed the gap between our faces, held my face lovingly between his two hands and kissed me. It started sweetly but soon developed into a passionate kiss that was hard for us both to break. That was until Ben pointedly cleared his throat.

“OK you two, that’s enough! Save the rest for tomorrow night!”

I felt Tom’s smile against my lips as he heard Ben’s words and we finally gave each other some space. Tom ran his hands down my neck, across my shoulders and down my arms to my hands. Grasping them gently he lifted them both to his lips and kissed each one.

“Until tomorrow then Darling”

“Until tomorrow” I agreed “Sleep well”

“You too” he replied. Then, still smiling he placed my hands down by my sides and stepped up to the boys again.

“We can go now” he said simply and you could see the realisation dawn on the faces of his escort that they had been played, completely and utterly. I smiled sweetly at them all as I made my way past them and took the left hand staircase towards my room for the night.

When we got there Diana was waiting with the key “What took you so long?” she asked light-heartedly

“Oh, Tom wanted a goodnight kiss” I said as I waited for her to open the door.

“That boy!” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I wouldn’t change him for the world” I said sincerely

“Neither would I” she replied “I’m so glad he found you Jackie. I don’t think he knew there was something missing in his life until he met you”

I was momentarily stunned. I’d known from our first meeting that I liked Diana very much but hadn’t fully appreciated how much she liked me in return. We’d always gotten on well together but I couldn’t help but think that our relationship was moving to a higher level now that we would both be officially looking out for Tom and she was more than happy for me to take on the bulk of that responsibility – not forgetting the ever present Luke of course! I was drawn from my thoughts by the click of the door lock as Diana opened the room. We all entered and I was gratified to see that the bags had made it to the room OK. My dress was safely in its cover, hanging on the back of the door and my two pairs of shoes were lined up out of the way. Apart from my undergarments for tomorrow and my toiletries, nothing else needed unpacking which was a blessing.

Emma and Lizzie had matching smirks on their face as Lizzie explained how they had organised the ‘ambush’. Emma, Lizzie, Hems and Ben had gone around the party making sure that everybody that was taking part had the ringtone on their phone and Hems’ number, of course; some of them would already have it but the gesture of trust for the non- Avengers was not lost on me and I suspected would not be lost on Tom either.

We sat around talking for a while, the numbers gradually diminishing as the ladies returned to the party downstairs, which looked like it wasn’t about to abate anytime soon, or off to bed themselves. Soon there was just the wedding party left and we sat around for a while longer, partly making sure that everyone knew what they were doing the next day but mainly just chatting in an attempt, I suppose, to take my mind off the big day. Finally Diana and Louise were shooing the last of them out of the door, following them after they had all kissed me, hugged me and wished me luck for the next day. Lizzie was the last to leave; she hugged me tightly as she said.

“I love you Mum, and I love Tom. I know we are all going to be very happy together. I’ll never forget Dad” and here she lowered her voice “and I don’t think I’ll ever call Tom ‘dad’ I hope you don’t mind?”

I shook my head in the negative. Tom had already confided in me that he and Lizzie had had that particular conversation and he wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. I knew she respected him and accepted him as her step-father. Tom had also told me that he’d asked Lizzie if she wanted him to adopt her and she’d gracefully declined. He’d assured both of us separately that it wouldn’t affect his relationship with her and I knew he meant it.

Lizzie continued “You honestly don’t mind?”

I choked back a small sob “Of course I don’t and I know Tom doesn’t either. Your dad wasn’t a bad man you should forget, he loved us both very much and the day I lost him was the worst of my life. I shall never forget him either, Tom knows this too and he wouldn’t expect us to forget Sean in a month of Sundays”

We hugged each other even tighter. I knew Tom wouldn’t let us down, that he loved both of us very much and he would do everything in his power to be the best husband and step father he could be.

“Go on now Lizzie, bed time for you. I’m not the only one with a big day tomorrow” I said breaking the hug. Lizzie’s answering smile was full of anticipation but not nerves; spending most of her free time this week with some of her favourite actors had done wonders for her self-confidence and I knew she would be fine when it came to performing the next day. After removing my make-up I had a quick shower, changed into my pyjamas and got into bed. Within minutes I was asleep, dreaming of the day to come.

The next morning dawned fair and clear, the weather forecast was accurate for once and the promised good weather had arrived on cue. I was really pleased because there were some beautiful spots in the extensive grounds that would make the perfect backdrop for some very special photos later in the day. I was drawn away from the window by a knock at the door and somehow wasn’t surprised to find Lizzie and Emma on the other side looking well refreshed, Emma was definitely revelling in having her ‘little sister’ around again and the pair of them were as close as ever. I invited them in and they perched happily on the bed as we discussed final arrangements for the morning. I knew Tom had arranged for beauticians to do our hair and make-up and, of course, my room was to be the centre of operations for the bridal party; it would get quite crowded with ten of us in there at the height of the preparations but as three of us were only young I was sure we could cope.

There was another knock on the door which Lizzie answered only to find a staff member with a trolley laden with food, a bud vase containing a pair of roses, one red and one white, standing tall and proud in the narrow neck of the vase, and a small envelope. I opened the envelope to find a piece of cream cardstock that had been written on in green pen; where Tom had found a green pen from I didn’t know but nevertheless the proof was in front of me that he had. He’d managed to fit an awful lot of writing in a relatively small space but the words warmed my heart.

**My dearest Jackie,**

**Today you will make me the happiest man in the world. Thank you for being you, the one who loves me, cherishes me, and has my back, and thank you also for throwing yourself wholeheartedly into my mad world. I love you with all my heart and I am looking forward more than words can say until later when I can, at last, call you Mrs Hiddleston.**

**Forever and always,**

**Your ever loving**

**Tom x x x**

I didn’t know much about the language of flowers but I did know that red signified love and white signified new beginnings amongst other things. Two flowers and a card conveyed so much I practically melted. The myriad of romantic gestures that I had been on the receiving end of in the last twelve months spoke volumes to me of Tom’s love and devotion. I put the card back in the envelope and propped it up again against the bud vase. Searching through the drawers of the room I found a piece of hotel stationery and scribbled a quick note to the staff that I wanted the vase and note transferred to the Bridal Suite.

          That little job done I turned my attention to the food on the trolley; under the covers were a tureen of steaming porridge, a mixed berry compote and a small mountain of toast and assorted preserves. There was enough for three which I found surprising at first until I realised that this had ‘Tom’ written all over it and he had anticipated that, at least, Lizzie and Emma would be with me from early in the day. I toyed with the idea of ringing his room but realised that if I got talking to him we may not stop for a while and that would put our plans well behind schedule. Lizzie, Emma and I tucked into the delicious repast, carbohydrates being just what we needed to get us through the day until the Wedding Breakfast which was, at this point, hours away. We knew that there would be no time for lunch and quite frankly I would probably be far too nervous to eat from now until after we were married anyway, but also realised fainting from hunger would make our wedding memorable for all the wrong reasons.

          We hadn’t long finished eating when there was another knock on the door and this time it was Diana, Susan, Lucy and Caitlin with their bridesmaid dresses safely in covers. And so the party gently started. All of us were having fresh flowers in our hair, India and I were having circlets of flowers and Emma, Lizzie Lucy and Caitlin were all having flowers woven in to their hair as it was done. The floral arrangements, bouquets, buttonholes for the men and loose flowers were due to arrive that morning and would be stored in a chilled room right up until they were needed to preserve their freshness. One more knock at the door revealed my best friend Louise who was here to give me away but I had another job for her first.

I hadn’t been able to work out how to get the boy’s presents to them without the possibility of them being lost or mislaid before this morning. I also knew that there was no way Emma, Lizzie or I would have time and I wouldn’t go anyway because of the tradition of it being bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. When I had explained my dilemma to her, Louise had immediately offered her services as delivery lady and of course I was only too happy to accept. Before she left on that errand though I handed over her cerise covered box. She opened it carefully and exclaimed happily over the contents. I had managed to find the perfect colour earrings, a simple gem set in gold of course and the tie and handkerchief. Louise had happily acquiesced to wearing a very masculine tie and handkerchief to match the groom’s party. She enthused over the material and spotting the wire discretely sewn into one edge quickly took it to the table. With a few deft folds she had transformed it into an elegant flower. Tucking the resultant shape into her breast pocket she turned to me and said “What do you think?”

I looked at her stunned “Where did you learn to do that?” I asked “I thought it was a really good idea when I ordered them but could never fold the spare right, and I was worried what the boys would make of them”

Louise looked at me fondly “There’s this wonderful thing called the internet Jackie, you can find anything you want on there you know? Steve was asked to be a Best Man last year and the handkerchiefs were the same as you’ve got, no one knew what to do with them then either. A quick Google search and voila” she pointed again to her breast pocket.

“They’re wonderful” I gushed “can you…?”

“Yes Jackie” she interrupted me “I can do them for Tom and the boys too”

“Thank you so much” I responded. I was so happy at this unexpected turn of events. I suspected that if push came to shove we would have worked something out but now it was unnecessary.

The next knock at the door revealed Elsa and India, having left Tristan and Sasha with the nannies for a few minutes. To nobody’s surprise India made a beeline for Lizzie, holding up her empty Bo-Peep basket, proud that she’d remembered it ‘all by mine own’ as she put it. We all praised her and she preened at the attention. As I’d predicted the room was rather full now and Diana and Susan gently shepherded Lucy, Caitlin and India to sit on the bed, Lizzie, of course, being dragged along as well. Elsa was quite happy to leave India with Lizzie and go back and get the twins sorted. With Chris being on Best Man duties the nanny school had allocated her a girl for the day to help with the twins for which Elsa was grateful.

Bang on schedule the beauticians arrived and started to work out the ‘running order’. Quickly realising that India couldn’t be trusted not to ruin her very light make up and I, as the Bride would be best off going last it was decided that Louise and Emma should go first as Louise still had to go and deliver the gifts to the boys. It didn’t take long for the first round of makeovers to be finished, the colours chosen blending well with what was being worn though I drew a very firm line at Lizzie having green lipstick! In the end we’d all settled on subtle shades of pink, nothing too garish or strident but just accentuating our natural shapes with a hint of gloss to them too. I still wasn’t a great makeup wearer; three recent award shows had seen me wear more make up in a month than I had in the previous year! I was still rubbish at putting it on though, relying on Lizzie or stylists to do it for me. Lucy and Caitlin were next as India had decided that she was to be made pretty at the same time as Lizzie; we all knew we were indulging her but in all honesty it was a small price to pay from a tantrum free day.

One Louise was finished she took the packages to the boys. I handed over the brightly coloured flat boxes that I had painstakingly wrapped as soon as I’d had all the components. The silk handkerchiefs with the specially adapted hem on one side sat in the bottom of the box with the neck tie sitting on top and the small box that held the cufflinks nestling in a corner. The hardest part had been wrapping the presents without disturbing the contents too much. I’d managed to find metallic paper to match the colours I needed and had used black ribbon to put the finishing touches to the packages and was really pleased with the result. Louise set off on her errand with a promise to inform me of the boy’s reaction when she got back.

Tom’s POV

          I was sitting in the armchair; my head in my hands feeling like my stomach was a nest of snakes. I couldn’t actually remember the last time I was this nervous, not even an entire factory workforce behind me as I proposed to my gorgeous Jackie had had me this shaky. I still got nerves before big auditions of course, and the first night of a play gave me severe jitters but this was beyond anything in my experience, the real problem was I didn’t know why! Chris, Ben, Martin and my dad were all in the room with me offering words of advice that did no good at all when suddenly there was a knock at the door. I jumped a mile, immediately thinking the worst, that Jackie had finally come to her senses and changed her mind, realising that my lifestyle was not one she could cope after all and had sent someone to tell me. My fears were not allayed in the slightest when Chris opened the door to reveal Jackie’s best friend Louise. My heart sank, my worst fears had come true, I knew I was trembling as I stood up to greet her; I felt pale and was sure I looked a fright.

Louise took one look at me, smiled and said softly “Damn. I lost!”

I looked askance at her as she handed me a flat rectangular box wrapped in green metallic paper and tied with thin black ribbon. I could see she had similarly wrapped packages in red, purple, and blue and was even more confused as she handed them to Chris, Ben and Martin respectively. There wasn’t a package for Dad but then I realised he was wearing something the rest of us weren’t. Dad was fully dressed complete with tie, cufflinks and a pocket square. I looked again at the green package in my hands and a slow genuine smile crept across my face as I realised what my Darling had done. I sat down again and carefully unwrapped the box. I eased the lid off and my smile grew bigger as I saw the green inside. This is what Jackie had meant when she said that she would take care of our accessories and that I would only have to wear the black. I quickly spotted the smaller box nestled in the corner and investigated that first. On opening it I saw the most beautiful pair of cufflinks, pure gold circles with an emerald green enamel surrounding a gold central boss. I was struck by her imagination when I realised that Chris, Ben, and Martin had cufflinks in ‘their’ colours too. Chris’ were silver with a scarlet enamel, Ben’s were gun metal grey with a dark purple enamel and Martin’s were silver with a pale blue enamel. They all exclaimed as they opened them and I could see Louise out of the corner of my eye taking note of all their reactions, no doubt so that she could report back to my beloved Jackie.

I quickly put the cufflinks on and they did look stunning against the stark white cuffs and black suit I was wearing. I lifted out the tie and smiled to myself at the memory of Jackie doing my tie for me every weekend up to now and suddenly I wanted to see her desperately, knowing it was impossible. I ran the deep green silk through my fingers, knowing she was the last one to touch it helped a little but in my current nervous state there was no way I was managing the knot myself. Chris came over to see if I was alright, in the time I’d been dithering he’d got his cufflinks and tie sorted and I could appreciate the aesthetic of how we would look as a group.

“It’s OK Tom” he said softly “Another couple of hours and you’ll wonder why you were so worried. Jackie loves you mate, that’s a given. Focus on that and it will all be great but you do need to calm down and relax. You’ll be no good to anyone in this state”

He was right, of course but my head and my heart definitely were not on the same wavelength at the moment. To my surprise Chris gently took the tie from my loose fingers and put it around my neck, a few deft twists and there was a knot every bit as good as Jackie’s recent efforts. As he finished adjusting my tie under my collar he cupped his hand around my neck in a gesture that I recognised from our films together. It always made me feel better as Loki and it did the same when I was Tom.

“Thanks Chris” I said softly, not really wanting to draw anyone’s attention to what had just happened. He just clapped me on the back and stepped away. The first thing I saw was Louise busily folding Ben’s purple pocket square into the shape of a flower as he looked on with interest. I was stunned when the ‘petals’ retained their shape and on closer inspection of my own green square realised there was florists wire sewn discretely into one hem. It was ingenious and certainly made a change from the traditional triangles or small edge peeking over the brim of the pocket.

Taking the square out of the box had revealed an envelope with my name on it in Jackie’s familiar hand. I checked around but nobody else seemed to have one so I knew that this was meant for me now and not later. I opened the envelope and pulled out the paper inside. I sat down to read what she’d written and chuckled at the first line.

_My dearest Tom,_

_If I know you as well as I think I do you are a nervous wreck about now and nothing anyone can say is doing anything to alleviate that feeling._

_You great prune! There is nothing to be worried about, you will be absolutely fine. It won’t be long until you are standing with the celebrant whilst I make my way down the aisle towards you. Rest assured I will be there. Never forget I love you forever and always and will be by your side through thick and thin._

_I’ll see you soon my Love    J._

I smiled as I folded the paper carefully and tucked it into my trouser pocket. If I couldn’t see Jackie any quicker at least I could keep her words on me and be close to her that way. She was right of course I really needed to pull myself together. As long as we were married by the end of the day nothing else mattered! By the time I’d read my little note and put it away, Louise had finished fixing the ‘flowers’ of the other men. She came over to me and took the green square from me. Yet again, a few deft folds and I had my own ‘flower’. I thanked Louise profusely and sincerely as she tucked her creation into my breast pocket.

“It’s no problem Tom” she assured me.

“Thank you anyway” I reiterated “Can I ask you just one thing?”

“Yes, of course. What’s on your mind?”

“Why did you say you’d lost when you saw me first?” it was an inane question but served for me to focus on the little things and not on the major life changing event only a couple of hours away now.

“Oh that!” she chuckled “I had a small bet with Jackie, which I obviously lost. I said that you would be all cool, calm, and collected when I got here and Jackie disagreed. Proof she knows you really well I suppose.”

I laughed too then, thinking of the note in my pocket that proved it beyond doubt. If Louise had known about that she wouldn’t have been so quick to wager. “I’m sorry” I said, still smiling “I hope it wasn’t too expensive?”

“No” she said “just a fiver, nothing really. Now are you all set? Chris has the rings?” Her change of pace and subject showing organiser Louise to the fore again.

“Yes, all set thanks, and the rings are in their box on the table in full view so they don’t get forgotten”

She smiled softly at me “You’d better check your hair before you go down if you think you’re all ready.” With that she waved goodbye and made her way out of the room. As soon as she was gone I went to the nearest mirror and took a good look. My hair had taken a beating during my moments of doubt and what had been a well coiffured head was now a huge mess! Sighing I sat in front of the vanity unit to try and get it in some semblance of order again.

 

Jackie’s POV

I looked up as Louise came back and burst out laughing as she delved in her bag to find her purse in order for her to pay me my winnings!

“Tom not doing quite as well as you imagined?” I said as I took the proffered note.

She looked at me and said sincerely “He was in a bit of a state I grant you but whatever you wrote in that note I didn’t know about seemed to work wonders and I left him primping his hair which he’d seemed to have ruined after getting dressed. You are a very lucky couple that can understand each other so well in such a relatively short time. The boys all looked brilliant, the cufflinks went down really well, especially with Tom and they are completely ready, which is more than I can say for this roomful!” I laughed again as I looked around. All bar myself had had their hair and makeup done, but only Lucy and Caitlin were actually in their dresses. India and I would be getting dressed together and she was very excited to be the same as ‘Auntie Queen’. That name had stuck over the course of our time together but I didn’t mind, Tom had introduced me to her as his queen all those months ago and she had obviously picked up on it.

Lizzie and Emma were helping each other into their dresses, fully aware of the flowers woven into their hair, smoothing the sleeves down their arms for the perfect fit and they both looked beautiful. Diana was hovering, without interfering, to lend a hand with any recalcitrant fastenings. A knock at the door heralded the arrival of the bouquets and posies, and they were stunning. There was a biggish bag of petals and leaves for India’s Bo-Peep basket for our little flower girl to scatter on front of us as we walked up the aisle and then four identical posies for the bridesmaids which consisted of golden yellow roses, freesias and gerberas. For me there was a waterfall bouquet, again with roses, gerberas, and freesias but also unexpectedly yellow peonies. They were my favourite garden shrub but I had no idea that they could be used as a cut flower also. All the arrangements were haloed by deep green foliage and looked absolutely brilliant. India was delighted with her leaves and petals and it took a great deal of cajoling for her not to start showing us how well Lizzie had taught her to scatter them the day before.

Finally it was time for me to get into my dress. It drew gasps from the assembled girls as only Lizzie had seen it anywhere near finished and Hazel had added some extra embellishments since then. She had obviously done some research because as well as the emerald appliques we had decided on on the shoulders and top portion of the sleeves the bodice now sported alternating diagonal pleats, edged in thin black satin ribbon, reminiscent of the crossing pieces of Loki’s leather tunic. We’d managed to keep those bits a secret from everyone and I was really pleased with how they’d turned out. They weren’t too big to detract from the overall look but subtly hinted at costumes we’d all seen and tied all the theme colours together beautifully. I made a mental note to make sure Hazel got to see some of the best pictures when they were available. With Emma and Lizzie helping I shimmied into the dress, pulling it up over my hips and gently putting my arms in the sleeves and positioning the shoulders correctly, making sure the Medici collar lined up perfectly. Emma did up the tiny buttons on the back, all the way to the top of the collar and then handed me my mum’s emerald earrings. Once they were in place and in perfect symmetry it was Lizzie who handed me Diana’s emerald necklace and did up the clasp whilst I held the stone in place, putting the final touch to the great bridal tradition of something old, Mum’s earrings; something new, my dress; something borrowed, Diana’s necklace and something blue, my blue lace garter currently hidden under my skirts. I made my way to the full-length mirror to get the full effect. There was one thing missing but not for long as Lizzie crowned me with my circlet of fresh flowers giving the dress the final Medieval appearance I wanted. India; predictably was the first to speak “Auntie Queen, you really are one now!”

“Thank you India” I said happily.

Diana came up to me then “That boy of mine won’t know what to say when he sees you. You look so beautiful Jackie.” As I looked at her, trying to take in what she said and tuck the words close to my heart I’m sure her eyes were full of unshed tears and Emma and Lizzie weren’t much better.

“Thanks Diana, for everything you’ve done this week, in case I forget to say it later” I said sincerely.

Changing the tone to a lighter one I looked at Emma and Lizzie and admonished “Now come on you two, tears will cause your make up to run and we have no time to refresh, photos are due about now” Indeed, as I spoke there was a knock at the door and Diana opened it to find Kathy, the hotel manager standing outside.

“Is everything alright?” I heard Diana ask.

“Oh. Yes. Completely” Kathy replied “Leanne and I are couple wrangling today, she’s shepherding the boys and I got the girls. In fact” she checked her watch “I’d say the boys should be back in their suite now so it’s safe to take you down for your photos”

I had to admire the attention to detail that made sure there was no chance of Tom and I catching sight of each other before the appropriate time to the extent that the ‘before’ photos were being taken at the same end of the building we were staying in so there could be no peeking out of the windows! Jo, the photographer did a great job, posing us how she wanted but still leaving us feeling relaxed and nothing felt forced at all. It was a little hard to keep India in shot when she was wanted. She seemed to be a bundle of energy, darting here, there and everywhere to look at things that caught her interest. It didn’t seem long before all the required shots were taken and we all trooped back inside. I realised with a start that we were only half an hour from the start of the ceremony!

Diana left us at the foot of the stairs so she could go and join our family and friends in The Orangery. As there was only one main internal staircase and no point risking the Bride and Groom seeing each other after all the elaborate precautions to keep us apart so far, Kathy led us to her office so we could wait until Tom’s party was situated. Martin and Ben were to be our Ushers and Tom and I had specified that as I had no close family, once my close friends and Tom’s family were seated correctly everyone else was free to sit where they wanted. This would, hopefully, avoid the room looking lopsided in the indoor photos.

I jumped when there was a soft knock at the door. Kathy opened it just enough to see that it was Leanne outside. After a brief conversation Kathy came back in the room and smiled “Well, we’re all set out there, are you ready to go?” I looked around Louise, Lizzie and Emma nodded enthusiastically, Lucy and Caitlin looked a bit apprehensive but determined and India? She had gotten herself in the chair behind Kathy’s desk and looked like she was about to take over the world! Lizzie called her and she was out of the chair in a flash, coming to see what she wanted.

“Right” Kathy said “I’ll take you to The Orangery and leave you outside the doors to form your little procession. Leanne will have a clear view of you and will start your music as soon as you nod to her”

“OK” I said just a little shakily I still couldn’t quite believe this was happening. I was about to marry Tom, the love of my life after so long thinking I would never be ready for love again. I handed my bouquet to Lizzie, not being able to manage it and my dress and followed Kathy until we came to The Orangery doors. We quickly and quietly rearranged ourselves, not wishing to give away the surprise of our entry, India at the front, then Lucy and Caitlin, Louise and I tucked in behind then with Emma and Lizzie bringing up the rear. As I looked through the glazed top half of the door I could see Tom and Chris standing at the front of the seating. The latter caught my eye, smiled as big as I’d ever seen him and threw me a wink. He then carefully schooled his expression as if he hadn’t seen me and turned back to the front. Tom, in contrast, looked very stiff and tense, facing resolutely forward as if turning even slightly would cause him to see something he shouldn’t, with a slight case of the jitters I supposed. I at least had done this before, though it had been in a church and the aisle there was significantly longer. Tom, of course, was doing this all for the first time so I could forgive him a few nerves. I also knew they’d vanish as soon as he saw me so I caught Leanne’s eye and nodded.

   The strains of ‘Here Comes the Bride’ wafted into the room and Tom’s posture stiffened a little more. Two hotel staff opened the doors and we entered the beautiful venue. I was immediately struck by how many flowers there were, small posies were hanging from the end chair of every row, larger arrangements were on small tables around the edge of the room and two large waterfalls of blooms flanked the area where we would become man and wife. I was sure there were more flowers than I had ordered originally and then I realised that this had ‘Tom’ written all over it. He knew I loved flowers but that they were an extravagance I didn’t succumb to often, so he had contacted the florist and upped the order. I briefly felt sorry for any hay fever sufferers in the gathering before me.

   We set off down the central aisle, India gaily stewing petals and leaves in front of us, only stopping briefly whenever she saw someone she knew to wave happily at them before continuing on her way. That all changed about three quarters of the way along our little journey when she caught sight of her father. She hadn’t seen him since early that morning as he’d had Best Man duties to attend to. There was a loud squeal from our littler flower girl which caused even Tom to turn his head ever so slightly before he remembered himself and turned to face the front again, the Bo-Peep basket went flying as India careened the rest of the way, desperate to see her daddy again. She even bypassed Tom in her determination to see Chris who realised what was happening quite quickly and managed to catch her as she launched herself at him. There was a chorus of ‘Awws’ and chuckles from the assembled guests as Chris hoisted India onto his hip where she seemed content to stay. Elsa, of course was embarrassed until Chris winked and smiled at her to say everything was fine.

   Whilst all that was going on, Lucy and Caitlin kept walking at the same pace and within moments we were at the front and I was alongside Tom at last. He turned to look at me fully and I’m sure it was only his sense of propriety that kept his jaw from gaping. There was a brief moment of shuffling as everyone took their seats again and I handed my bouquet to Lizzie. Tom couldn’t tear his eyes away from me, that much was obvious, overcome as he was with sheer happiness. I could even see tears in his eyes though none escaped but I really wasn’t in a much better state. I’d seen him in everything from sweaty jogging bottoms to bespoke tuxedos by this point and he’d never looked more gorgeous than he did at that moment. The cufflinks, tie and pocket square I’d gifted him worked perfectly together and a quick glance at Chris confirmed that he looked almost as good.

   Tom took a steadying deep breath and whispered to me “Darling, I have never seen you looking so radiant. I feel like the luckiest man alive.”

“Good afternoon to you too” I smiled back at him “You’ve scrubbed up quite well too it would seem”

The celebrant chose that moment to clear his throat and started proceedings by welcoming everyone to the venue and, bizarrely to my ears, reminding us all why we were there. As it wasn’t a church service we were spared lengthy prayers and we’d elected not to have any hymns or significant songs, but we had decided to try and keep as many other traditional elements as possible. Louise had her small moment when the question was asked ‘who gives this woman to this man?’ and she placed my hand in Tom’s who immediately enveloped it in his own large hand. I’m sure we both tensed when the celebrant asked if anyone knew of any reason why we could not be lawfully married, expecting Robert to make a quip, but mercifully the room stayed silent.

          The celebrant had explained when we’d met him the day before that there was certain wording that had to be used to make a marriage legally binding in England and there was no way we were not getting it right at this point. First was the declaration of freedom to marry.

Tom went first and, even though his voice was full of emotion, managed to enunciate perfectly “I solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I, Thomas William Hiddleston may not be joined in matrimony to Jacqueline Moore” he finished with a broad smile and I knew he was relishing being able to say my full name without being reprimanded. Then, of course it was my turn, my voice wasn’t as strong but no less full of pride as I declared to the world that I was free to marry Tom.

   After a small moment to savour and gather ourselves again the celebrant continued with the ceremony by saying it was time for the vows, we had written our own vows but both of us also wanted to use the traditional wording, so we were doing those first. Tom went first again, repeating after the celebrant in small sentences

“I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, Thomas William Hiddleston do take thee Jacqueline Moore to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part” All said with his megawatt smile threatening to split his head open. I still wasn’t much better as I repeated my vows after the celebrant, an exact copy of Tom’s, we wanted to be equals in this marriage.

   Another brief pause that we spent smiling at each other and then we were invited to say our own promises to each other. Tom took both of my hands in his and recited from memory the words he’d put so much thought into “I am yours. Forever and always. You are my first thought in the morning and my last at night. You have captured my heart so completely none may wrest it from you. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you, no matter the physical distance between us. I love you with every fibre of my being, forever and always” his tears had started flowing silently as he spoke, so overcome with the emotion of the moment that he couldn’t stop them if he’d tried but I don’t think he’d bothered.

It was my turn then and I carefully swapped our grips, so I was holding his hands in mine. Looking into those gorgeous blue orbs I recited “I am yours. Forever and always. You are my shining light, my beacon through tough times, my hope and inspiration. You have given me so much already; my confidence has returned and for that alone I thank you. You have already taught me that it is OK to love and proved beyond a shadow of doubt that I am ready for love again. I am yours. Forever and always” I said this very carefully, making sure the words came out right and that I didn’t trip over them in the heat of the moment.

We both now had tears running slowly down our cheeks and I’m sure I heard a couple of discrete sniffs behind me but as from whom I couldn’t tell. Tom tenderly used a thumb to wipe away my tears and then dealt with his own. The celebrant then called for the rings and there was a small hiatus as Chris shifted India from one hip to the other, so he could get the rings out of his pocket. India showed no sign of letting go anytime soon so it was juggling or nothing. Once the rings were safely on the Order of Service Tom took the smaller one and holding my left hand in his slid the band down my ring finger as he said “I give you this ring as a visible and constant symbol of my promise to be with you for as long as I live” The ring felt cool on my finger and I gazed at it in wonder. This was the ring I’d tried on but never seen as Tom had wanted it to be a surprise. I’d been expecting a plain gold band instead I had a gorgeous rose gold band engraved with knot work, never beginning, never ending. There were no stones, but the ring was pretty enough without them. The bigger surprise, literally, was that Tom’s was the same, just larger so it could fit his finger obviously. Rose gold was an unusual choice for a man but then he was, more often than not, following his own rules in certain aspects. As I picked his ring off the little booklet I noticed that there was something engraved on the inside as well, but I had no time to examine it as it was meant to be on Tom’s finger. I let all my emotion colour my voice as I said, “I give you this ring as a visible and constant symbol of my promise to be with you for as long as I live” and I slid the beautiful band up Tom’s slender digit.

When that was completed the celebrant said, “By the powers invested in me I now pronounce you man and wife” turning to Tom he added “You may kiss your bride” Tom needed no second invitation but kept it chaste as he gathered me in his arms and the applause rang out through The Orangery.

I knew I was going to have sore cheeks later from all the smiling but I just couldn’t help it and from the look on Tom’s face he would need a grin-ectomy by the end of the day too. For now though it was time to start the party so to speak. Hand in hand Tom and I walked down the aisle and back out through the doors I’d entered as a single woman. Chris and Emma following, India still firmly ensconced on his hip and Lizzie, Lucy and Caitlin behind him. All our guests filed out behind us and it was a very happy, chattering crowd that made its way to the large outside terrace for the photos. The weather was still being kind and we’d been blessed with a clear fresh February day.

Jo was very efficient, managing to organise us neatly into the various groups she wanted for all the necessary photos. As I was needed for most of the shots I didn’t get a lot of opportunity to take in the extensive grounds. I did see a pretty, low wall that would do for one of the photos I knew Tom particularly wanted and I thought I could see the stone roof of a bridge or pavilion through the trees that would make a nice backdrop too. Tom had also spotted the low wall and after all but one of the traditional shots had been taken he steered me in that direction, leaving our friends to chat on the terrace. Tom explained to Jo what he wanted as we walked, and she was happy to oblige. Apparently a trial run was required but personally I think Tom just wanted an excuse to pick me up and spin me around! I do have to admit thought that the resulting picture looked fantastic on the viewfinder screen. I mentioned to Tom and Jo about the stone roof I’d spotted, and I wasn’t really surprised when Tom’s expression got even lighter, which I was amazed was even possible and he started walking. He explained as we walked that that what I was seeing was the roof of one of only four complete Palladian bridges in the world. He’d forgotten it was here until I’d mentioned it but then proceeded to gush over how perfect it was for some more photos. His enthusiasm was infectious as always and we made it to the bridge in very little time.

It was stunning with a long lead up and an airy covered area all made from the local Bath Stone which gave it a beautiful honey colour. We had a load of photos taken there with just the two of us and I was sure one of them would make it on to the wall at one of our homes. When Tom and Jo were satisfied we headed back to the terrace and our guests for the final photo of the session which was the traditional confetti photo.

All the usual suspects were ranged behind us with handfuls poised and with Jo in front of us I braced for the coming onslaught. Jo got a brilliant photo of us practically obscured by pretty pieces of tissue paper, and then things got a bit ridiculous, the children were picking up handfuls off the floor and throwing them again and again and the adults seemed intent on getting the stuff into every crevice on us they could find. They had a harder time with Tom of course, his collar and tie not giving them much in the way of access, but my neckline seemed to be much more inviting and open, unfortunately. As we tried to avoid the concerted attack, dancing around and ducking out of one person’s way generally only to find ourselves in the path of someone else. I didn’t realise that I’d managed to lose my garter until Sarah pointed it out as she picked it off the floor. There was a slight pause in proceedings as I tried to figure out how I was going to get it back on again and still keep the little dignity I had left. Tom solved my problem for me by gallantly going down on one knee and offering to other one as a foot rest. I hesitated, knowing the soles of my shoes would be filthy and leave a terrible mark on his trousers, but the sight of my new husband in that position with an expression of entreaty on his face soon put paid to my misgivings and I duly rested my right foot on his proffered knee. Tom took the garter delicately from his big sister and then prompted me to lift my foot slightly so he could slide the pretty lacy material over my foot and onwards up my leg. It was easier than I thought it would be all I had to do was hold the majority of my skirts out of the way.

I could envision his smile as he realised that I was wearing hold up stockings and could hear it in his voice when he asked “How far up do I need to go with this, Darling?”

“There is fine. Thank you” I responded and there was a brief kiss from my beloved on my thigh just above the re-positioned garter. As he emerged from not quite under my skirts our friends around us noticed that they had missed something special as they were too busy with the confetti over their cameras and there was a chorus of disappointed noises interspersed with requests for us to repeat the action. Tom looked at me questioningly and I shrugged as if to say ‘why not?’ whilst everyone was grabbing their cameras and phones and Jo was setting up for another shot Tom took my garter off again and gave me such a cheeky wink when he had it in his hands again that I nearly didn’t trust him to behave. Once everyone was sorted we managed a more photogenic re-enactment and the shot of the day was committed to posterity.

   That concluded the ‘outside’ photos and so the next thing on the agenda was food! Well there was the small matter of the receiving line to get through first. Luckily the last few weekends had given me plenty of practice shaking hands, air kissing, and smiling so it wasn’t the ordeal it would have been previously and a lack of parents on my side made it shorter all round though Lizzie decided she should be included so that she could officially meet the members of Tom’s extended family that we hadn’t managed to catch up with yet. The room looked gorgeous; we’d opted for round tables so that conversation stood less chance of being stilted. The centre pieces of the tables were helium filled balloons, there were golden one with green weights and green balloons with gold weights, all the ribbons were black and it looked really striking. Some of the flower arrangements had been moved from The Orangery and they still looked amazing. The cake was off on a little table to the side and the cupcakes adorned every spare flat surface around it. Tom’s friend had done wonders and even managed to incorporate our colours into the icing on the cupcakes without it being overpowering. I was frankly amazed at how well it had all come together and made a mental note to find Leanne and Kathy before the end of the day and thank them for all their efforts.

When the last guest had been officially greeted and found their seats Tom and I slipped out of the room briefly so that we could be introduced by the toastmaster. We took the chance to touch base with each other, although we’d been together constantly since I’d gotten to the front of the Orangery there had been little opportunity for real conversation; whispering names up and down the receiving line really didn’t count.

“How are you doing?” I asked, managing to speak before Tom for once.

“Much better than I was this morning” Tom said with a smile.

“I did hear you weren’t exactly cool, calm and collected” I said with a giggle.

“Louise is far too generous with her descriptions” he allowed “I was a complete state, there’s no point denying it, but as soon as I saw you it all disappeared. And you? Are you OK?”

“I’m quite pleased we’ve had so many social events this month” I said honestly “brilliant preparation for a celebrity wedding apparently!”

            The toastmaster came over at that point to ask if we were ready and we signalled that we were. We followed him to the main doors of the hall and waited as he said “Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for you Bride and Groom. I am happy to present Mr and Mrs Tom Hiddleston”

We re-entered the room to a very generous round of applause from our assembled family and friends as we made our way to the head table, which was the only rectangular one. There was the inevitable brief pause as everyone retook their seats and Tom held mine out for me and helped me pull it to the table. Once everyone was seated the hotel staff commenced serving the wedding breakfast. I remembered with great affection the day we’d spent at Eddington Court before Tom went to America to shoot I Saw the Light and how we’d agonised over the menu choices. We’d decided on a choice of filo pastry filled with a seafood cocktail, or a variety of fruit juices for the starter, roast turkey with all the trimmings as the main course, which was a particular favourite of mine, and I smiled as I remembered the compromise we’d come to over dessert. Tom had tried many options and had not been able to make up his mind and so had asked if we could have a sample platter for everyone which Kathy and Leanne had been happy to arrange.

            The starter looked wonderful, delicate filo pastry baskets served in a shallow bowl and stuffed to the brim with prawns, tuna, and crab meat in a light dressing on a bed of shredded lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. They tasted as good as they looked, no one flavour overpowering any of the others. As I ate I was pleased to see and hear conversations ebb and flow around us, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. We had quite a compact top table, James and Diana as parents of the Groom, Lizzie and Emma, Lucy and Caitlin, Hems and Louise and Tom and I of course. I could tell Lucy and Caitlin in particular were excited to be on this table, it made the day even more special for them.

            When all the starters had been finished the staff quietly and efficiently cleared away the dirty china and glasses. The level of conversation grew as people got to know each other a little more, and surreptitious glances around the room confirmed that our idea of everyone mingling was working really well as, when I looked, no one seemed to being left out anywhere.

My attention was diverted from people watching by Tom whispering in my ear “Are you OK Darling? You’re looking a little distracted.”

“I’m fine” I whispered back “just enjoying seeing everyone getting on so well. I’m really pleased”

“Me too” Tom acknowledged “just goes to show we’re all normal really”

I giggled quietly “Now come on Tom, there’s nothing ‘normal’ about Robert!”

“Well no” he conceded “but he’s really not the worst I have come across in the business”

“The mind boggles” I mock gasped “there’s worse than RDJ out there?!”

“Oh plenty” Tom snickered back “but come on now, focus. The next course is here”

And indeed as Tom spoke I could see a small group of waiters and waitresses approaching the top table. I was surprised when, after gently placing our plates with luscious thick slices of roast turkey on them in front of us, the first group withdrew leaving space for others to come forward in pairs, one holding a serving dish and the other serving utensils. I was even more confused when I realised that the top table was the only one getting this treatment, all the other tables were having large dishes of steaming vegetables placed on them for our guests to help themselves. With a jolt I caught on. The top table was getting what is known as ‘silver service’, no need for us to pass dishes to and fro amongst us and potentially getting in a pickle as there was no way to pass the dishes around the table, just up and down. No, instead we would be individually served our choices by the waiting staff. I glanced along the table and saw the confusion on my face mirrored on Lucy, Caitlin and Lizzie faces too until I saw Louise take pity on Lizzie and Hems do the same with the other two, telling them what to expect.

            There were so many delicious variety of vegetables that I was spoilt for choice, everything had a twist too, the potatoes had been roasted with fresh sage leaves, the carrots had been done in a lemon glaze which gave them a sharp little kick. There were also sweet peppers and courgettes in a tomato sauce and my personal favourite of the day, leeks and cauliflower in a creamy cheese sauce. Add in the obligatory sage and onion stuffing balls, pigs in blankets, made from local bacon and sausages as Wiltshire is famous for its pork products, the less traditional Yorkshire puddings, fine with beef but becoming more usual with any roast meat, lovely homemade gravy and it was a struggle to find room on the plate. It all tasted as delicious as it looked and the background hum of conversation dwindled away as everyone concentrated on the repast in front of them to the exclusion of everything else.

            When everyone had eaten their fill the plates were cleared away and there was a small break for us to allow some room to be found for the various desserts. Tom’s inability to decide on which desserts he wanted all those months earlier proved to be a blessing in disguise as the appetiser sized portions of various desserts on the same plate went down a storm. The chefs had worked really hard and there were small portions of fruit meringues, salted caramel cheesecake, rhubarb crumble, and bite sized pieces of beautifully moist chocolate brownie decorated with a single raspberry and a light dusting of icing sugar. I made a point of telling Tom that we needed to thank the chefs personally at some point (and possibly ‘borrow’ some recipes!) the final plates were cleared and the toastmaster announced it was time for speeches.

            To my surprise, but eternal gratitude Louise was announced first. She introduced herself, her relationship to me and thanked everyone for coming. She then proceeded to tell a potted history of my past. We’d had a lot of fun together growing up and luckily she focussed mainly on that rather than the sadness of the last few years before I met Tom. She then told him that he should consider himself very lucky because she wouldn’t give me away to just any old body. This earned her hearty chuckles from the assembled guests and a nod of acknowledgement from Tom himself. She then proposed the toast to the Bride and Groom and the room stood as one to salute us in the time honoured fashion.

            Then it was Tom’s turn to speak. He thanked Louise for her generous words and all our guests for coming. We’d organised a bouquet of flowers for Diana, which I presented to her with a kiss and hug, and necklaces for India and our Bridesmaids which he and I presented together. It took a little while but all seemed pleased with their mementoes. Tom then turned his attention to talking about me and it too him all of about five seconds to have me blushing which, judging from the look in his eyes, was his intention all along. He put his considerable vocabulary to good use, complimenting me on my patience with him and his lifestyle and all the changes I had made to accommodate him. Not for the first time I realised that the tears were silently flowing as Tom professed his utter love for me in the most public setting so far. Being centre stage gave me no chance to get rid of them surreptitiously. Luckily for me, and my make-up, he then turned his attention to Chris and thanked him for his continued friendship and most importantly his support over the last couple of days. He finished off by toasting the bridesmaids, making special mention of Lizzie as his new stepdaughter. She blushed and ducked her head in embarrassment but India stole the show as usual, suddenly sitting up tall in her seat at one of the round tables and proclaiming “Thank you” loudly for the whole room to hear earning her more chuckles.

            Then came the speech I knew Tom was dreading slightly, Chris’. They had known each other for long enough now that Chris had a fair few stories to choose from to try and discomfort Tom and I knew Tom was a little worried about what would be said in front of his parents and family. He needn’t have worried. After thanking him on behalf of the bridesmaids Chris launched into the kindest Best Man speech I’d ever heard. He’d obviously spoken to Sarah, Emma, James and Diana because there were stories of the young Tom that even I’d never heard before but they all poked fun at him gently and even when Chris got to the part of Tom’s life that he knew well the stories were harmless and innocuous. He finished off by reading cards and messages from friends and family who, for one reason or another, couldn’t spend our happy day with us. To my delight there was one from Harri, Tom’s make-up artist on I Saw the Light and another from Marc Abraham, director and producer of the same. To our surprise there was even a card from Great Aunt Ethel wishing us all the best for the future.

            Finally it seemed there were only two traditions to be observed, cutting the cake and our first dance. Cutting the cake would be first obviously and Tom and I stood and made our way to the cake covered table. There was a large beautifully engraved cake knife, ribbons in our colours tied around the hilt, waiting for us beside the cake that was resplendent on its stand. It was the two tiers we’d requested and my heart gave a little flip at the thought of what the top tier would ultimately be used for if the fates allowed. I grasped the knife in one hand and Tom wrapped his around mine. With a quick kiss for luck and to the click of the false shutters on our friend phones, not to mention the flash from Jo’s camera, we pressed down carefully and cut the cake. Following the English tradition we made only one cut and I could see some of the Americans looking confused as we didn’t feed each other cake. Notwithstanding the fact that I wasn’t a fan, in any sense of the rich fruit cake our wedding cake was made of, it was amusing for me to see English friends trying to explain to American friends what was going on.

            The cake cutting concluded the meal portion of the day. We now had a small breather whilst Lizzie and the girls set up to play. The Roses had done the majority of it in the morning whilst Lizzie was occupied getting ready for the ceremony and even now she’d slipped off to change into something more appropriate. Tom stood and gave me a strange look of boyish excitement. He held out his hand, I took it and stood, though I wasn’t sure what was going on in that handsome head of his.

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear “I reckon we’ve got about twenty minutes before the music starts, our guests can spare us for ten of them I’m sure”

“Why?” I whispered back “what are you up to?”

He put on a look of pure innocence “I don’t know what you are implying!” he said haughtily “Can’t a husband have some time alone with his new wife?”

I smiled, ‘new wife’ still has a wonderful ring to it and I capitulated instantly “Of course he can” I said “Where are we going?”

Tom didn’t answer, just tugged me gently out of the main hall and down a corridor. One left turn and we were out of sight standing by an outside door that flooded the area with late afternoon sunlight.

“Have you had a chance to look at your ring properly yet?” he asked

I suppressed the urge for sarcasm. I wanted to say ‘Of course Love, I’ve had plenty of time to look since you put it on my finger’ but instead I simply shook my head. “No, not yet, it’s all been a bit of a whirlwind. You know?”

“Of course Darling, I was being silly. I know you haven’t had time really, I’m just excited for you to see it!”

“Oh” I said and made to slide it off my finger. Tom stopped me “May I?” he said “Then I get to put it on again!”

He really was being adorable so I let him. The ring moved easily and Tom handed it to me as soon as it was free of my finger. I took my time to admire the pattern on the outside. The knot work was very intricate and, as it should be, there was no way of knowing where the design started or ended. My attention was drawn again to the inside where I’d spotted something as I put Tom’s ring on. There was a small verse inside along with our initials. It took some squinting as the font was so small but eventually I made out the inscription which read ‘Ring of love, bind us together, seal our love, entwine us forever’ I gazed up at Tom, though he’d gone a bit blurry at that precise moment as unbidden tears came to my eyes, definitely not for the first time and probably not for the last time that day either I suspected.

“No wonder you didn’t want me to see it in the jewellers” I managed “I’d have been a blubbering mess!”

“Actually” Tom admitted “the inscription came after that, I found it somewhere and decided it was perfect so I had it added, and” he added with a cheeky wink “we already knew your ring would fit!”

“It is perfect” I agreed “simply perfect” and with no one in sight to spoil our moment we kissed. It was deep, long and full of promise but it wasn’t messy as we were fully aware that we had a lovely long party to get through. No one was going to send us to bed tonight until we were good and ready!

            Breaking the kiss I straightened Tom’s tie and flower handkerchief which had become slightly askew. He looked me over with a critical eye and concluded I hadn’t messed my make-up, which was good because any touch up that required more than re-applying my lipstick was beyond me. Tom took my hand and we headed back to the main room, sure we would have been missed by now, and we were giggling to ourselves like naughty school children. As we got to the part of the corridor where we would have to turn right though I heard voices. I tugged on Tom’s hand to stop him; I wasn’t walking around that corner into potential embarrassment without knowing who was there. We stopped just shy of the corner and I peeked round. I gasped quietly and jerked back, my hand over my mouth to muffle my giggles, which threatened to be full blown laughter. Bemused by my reaction Tom poked his head around the corner and he too had the same reaction to the scene in front of us.

            Diana, diminutive Diana, whom no sane man would cross, was standing holding one hand out flat, demanding, to Luke of all people. Tom and I smothered our giggles in an attempt to hear the conversation, and not get caught of course. It worked!

“Come on Luke” Diana said in a very no nonsense voice “hand over your phone. You will get it back when you retire for the night I promise but for now you are at the wedding of your friend and shouldn’t be worried about work at all. I’m sure he’s not!”

Tom chuckled in my ear “No, I’m not worried at all Mum!”

I elbowed him gently to get him to be quiet. We both peeked around the corner again just in time to see Luke hand his phone over to my impressively intimidating mother-in-law. Luke’s expression was a joy to behold, our normally cheerful friend looked like someone had kicked his puppy and stolen his favourite toy which, on reflection, Diana practically had. Tom and I had a real problem stifling our giggles and I could tell from Tom’s eyes mischief would be afoot later. He definitely wasn’t going to let this one go and I suddenly remembered his reputation on the Marvel set for being a bit of a practical joker. I resolved to keep an eye on him that evening, not wanting to miss whatever he’d just thought up. With the phone now safely in Diana’s handbag they left the corridor. We gave them a couple of minutes, had a complete fit of the giggles at the recollection of Luke’s expression and finally managed to pull ourselves together in order not to arouse suspicion as we re-joined our friends.

            The band was ready to play; we’d obviously been a lot longer than we’d thought. Lizzie shot me a look that said ‘Finally’ and prepared for our first dance. I went quickly to the side of the stage to change into my dancing shoes and re-joined Tom in the middle of the cleared dance space. All the tables had been moved back to create a large enough space for us all to dance.

“Ready Darling?” Tom enquired

“Ready Love” I said smiling, hoping that all the choreography I had learnt had actually stuck. I had complete faith in Tom not to steer me wrong both literally and metaphorically. The Roses struck the opening chords of Eternal Flame and Lizzie, completely in her element, launched into the first verse. I wasn’t surprised to find I remembered all the steps and was ready for the magical moment when I opened my eyes and was hit by the full force of Tom’s adoring gaze. I was, however surprised by how quiet the room had gone. The only sound to be heard was Thorne and the Roses as Tom and I twirled, swirled and glided around the floor. We made it to the end without a mistake. I even coped with the unexpectedly deep dip that Tom threw in at the end. There was a beat of silence when the music stopped and then the whole place was cheering and applauding in a standing ovation. I knew that some of it was for us but I was also aware that a good portion of it was for Lizzie and her band, not many had had the opportunity to hear them before and they’d put in a flawless performance, well worth being upstaged by.

            I could tell by the way that people, but especially couples, were reluctant to retake their seats that they expected more music to dance to now that our ‘first dance’ was out of the way and I admit I thought that too so it was a complete shock when Lizzie spoke into her mic.

“Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your kind response. I know you’re expecting to dance now but I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you to wait just a little bit longer. You see I didn’t know what to get Tom and Mum as a wedding present; obviously it has to be very special so I wrote them a song that we’d like to play for you now. Mum, Tom, congratulations from all of us”

I looked at Tom with a silent question but his answering shrug told me that this time, at least, he had no idea what Lizzie was up to which made me feel a little better about being kept out of the loop. Our guests respected the band’s request and stayed off the floor as a single guitar started plucking a melody I didn’t recognise. With no idea of the tempo and no chance to make something up on the fly Tom settled for wrapping both his arms around my waist so his hands were on the small of my back and I put my arms around his neck as we began to sway slowly on the spot. Then Lizzie started singing.

_“It happened one year ago_

_I was texting on my phone_

_Not looking where I go I bump into you_

_The rest is history”_

I gasped as I listened to the words, my gorgeous daughter had literally written ‘Our Song’! Just then Scott, Shannon’s twin brother stood from his seat with mic in hand and proceeded to the stage, singing as he walked

_“Cause you are the love of my life_

_And now you’re my lovely wife_

_Waking up and seeing you there_

_Makes life something I can bear”_

Suddenly all the band was singing

_“Today here we are hand in hand_

_Our journey’s just beginning_

_Together we stand_

_Through times good and bad, each other we have_

_Love of my life_

Lizzie sang another solo

_“I wasn’t sure when we first started_

_But then I knew when we parted_

_I couldn’t go a day without you_

_And when you left I’d be blue”_

Abbie played a beautiful guitar solo with the melody and then the band were singing the chorus again.

            By the time the time the song was over I, predictably, had tears down my cheeks again. As the last note died away Tom and I turned to face Thorne and the Roses. Their faces were wreathed in smiles, ecstatic at the response their song had garnered and indeed all around the room people were again standing and applauding, those that knew us best giving the loudest response. Lizzie, Abbie, Shannon, Leah and Scott came to the front of the stage and took a well-deserved bow. Tom and I couldn’t help ourselves; he gave them a very elegant bow and I did my best curtsey. As wedding presents went it was pretty perfect. Once the applause died down Lizzie announced that they would play a full set and that the floor was open to all. All those weekends when she’d declined trips to London and hadn’t seemed put out about having yet another sleepover suddenly made sense; they’d obviously been working on new material for the band. They had three or four new songs, all good but none as special as the first one they played. Their set went down really well; the floor was never empty and ‘our song’ which was apparently called ‘Love of my Life’ was requested as an encore which they happily did.

            Tom and I were at the side of the stage as soon as they’d finished wanting to thank them properly for their present and their playing. The band had improved so much, even from Lizzie’s birthday the previous August and I found myself wondering if this could be Lizzie’s future. At least with Tom as her stepfather any questions she had could be easily dealt with and I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to give the band any help he could. There was a short break whilst our favourite local DJ set up his gear and we took the chance to mingle with our guests, accepting yet more congratulations for us and plaudits for Thorne and the Roses which we promised to pass on.

            Once the DJ was set up the party began again. There had been a small influx of local guests who for various reasons hadn’t been invited to the ceremony and amongst those were my old colleagues from the Lab, the girls exclaimed over my dress of course and wanted to know all the juicy gossip about my life with Tom, a couple of them had even seen the brief coverage or our arrival at the BAFTA’s which cause me to cringe again when they mentioned it. I still wasn’t over my first television appearance!

            With the party in full swing Tom and I danced as much as possible. There was a lovely moment early on when Tom danced with Diana and James came over to ask for my hand for the same dance with me. I also got to dance with Hems and the rest of the Avengers and even Mark Gatiss took me for a spin which was highly entertaining. Tom and I were never apart for too long, though I did lose him completely for a short while at one point. When I found him he was talking to a blond woman who looked to be our age. He introduced me as Lizzie’s mum and her as Nikki who he’d apparently gone to Cambridge with. Tom explained that Nikki was now a lecturer at BIMM London and she in turn told me that BIMM stood for the British and Irish Modern Music Institution and asked if Lizzie thought about what she was going to do after her G.C.S.E’s? BIMM funded places for bands including student accommodation close to the campus which was a great idea. It really wasn’t the place to discuss it at the moment so Tom gave Nikki his mobile number and she promised to be in touch before he left to film The Night Manager.

            There was a brief lull in the dancing as the buffet was served and I was very pleased to see some more pieces of that delicious chocolate brownie with the raspberry on top. I had to make myself have something savoury first though as there was a large selection of wonderful looking finger foods to choose from and succulent pieces of fruit as kebabs. I decided to sample one of everything, just because I could! With a plate full of food I headed for an empty seat at the nearest table, confident no one would mind if I ‘stole’ their chair for a short while. I’d lost Tom again but knew he wouldn’t be far away especially with all the sweet stuff that had appeared on the tables.

            Happily munching on my food and chatting to the friends whose table I’d sat at I found myself distracted by the table decorations. More of the balloon arrangements had appeared for the evening party and some of them seem to have taken on a life of their own, moving randomly behind the tables around the room. I kept catching movement out of the corner of my eye but when I focussed my attention on a particular moving bunch they stopped, only to start again when I looked away. It was most perplexing. Luckily for my curiosity the mystery was soon solved as Exton Downey, Robert’s little toddler wandered out from behind the table with a bunch of balloons in his little hands and a huge smile on his face. He was obviously having a lovely time playing with the arrangements and I was just pleased that the mystery of the moving table decorations had been sorted.

            Tom appeared at my elbow shortly afterwards, plate piled high with sweet goodies, including a couple of brownie squares, one of which I managed to snag and eat before he noticed what I’d done. “Shall we have a bit of fun?” he asked me quietly in my ear

“What are you thinking Mr. Hiddleston?” I enquired cheekily

“Why Mrs. Hiddleston” he exclaimed, full of mock outrage “What makes you think that I, of all people, would be up to anything?”

“Oh I don’t know” I shrugged “maybe it’s because you have a look in your eye, the one you only get when you are channelling a certain Norse Trickster God”

“Busted!” he said happily “Anyway, how about it? Fancy seeing Loki at work?”

Well that was an offer too good to pass up so I nodded and accepted Tom’s proffered hand to help me rise from my seat. We left our full plates on the table and with his arm in its familiar position round my waist we wandered around the room, not rushing and taking the time to exchange pleasantries with our guests. I knew Tom was looking for someone in particular but I just didn’t know who yet. That was until I spotted Luke looking a little lost. Once Tom had spotted him he made a beeline for him, though still looked like his approach was totally casual with me at his side, desperately trying to school my expression so I didn’t give anything away.

“Alright Luke?” Tom asked as we got close enough not to be raising our voices

“Oh Tom” Luke answered, still looking a little lost “Yes thanks, lovely wedding”

“Yes it is, all thanks to Jackie of course” Tom replied “Listen, can I borrow your phone? I want to show Jackie something but my phone is safely locked in my room”

“Ah!” Luke started to colour slightly “I’d love to be able to help but the truth is I haven’t got my phone”

Tom feigned shock “You haven’t got your phone? Have you lost it? Where did you last have it? Have you reported it to Leanne or Kathy?”

Luke put a placating hand on Tom “Relax Tom” he said “I know roughly where it is”

Now Tom looked confused “If you know where it is, why don’t you just go and get it?”

Luke looked really embarrassed now “Because your mum won’t let me have it back until after the party” he mumbled so badly that if we hadn’t already known where his phone was we would still have been none the wiser. As it was we both burst out giggling, much to Luke’s consternation, until he figured out that Tom and I knew something of what had transpired earlier.

“Tom you rotten so and so! You put Diana up to this didn’t you?” Luke exclaimed

Removing his hand from my waist Tom held up both of his as if in surrender “I didn’t! I swear! But Jackie and I did see Mum corner you and it was too good an opportunity to pass up to tease you a little”

“You git!” was Luke’s response “I feel as if someone has cut off one of my hands!”

“Maybe Mum had a point then” Tom re-joined softly “You ‘are’ here to relax and enjoy yourself today you know? Anything that happens elsewhere today can wait until tomorrow, or even Monday to be sorted if it needs your personal touch, and you do have other people working for you who are more than capable or else you wouldn’t have employed them.”

Luke sighed “You’re right of course”

Tom smirked “I know, now come on, I know for a fact that you’re owed a dance from the Bride and there’s no time like the present.”

Taking that as my cue I dragged a slightly reluctant Luke to the dance floor and didn’t let him go until he started to dance. He did relax into it and by the end of the dance was happily looking for someone else to dance with. Tom sidled up to me when Luke was out of earshot “We make a good team” he said happily

“We do” I agreed “Now I think I’m owed at least one dance from the Groom!”

Tom snickered but pulled me close and we proceeded to dance the rest of the evening away, making sure that we danced with everybody and I have to say I’m glad I wore flatter shoes by the time I’d finished.

            Eventually there was just a small group of us left, Ben and Sophie, Hems and Elsa, Louise and her family and Tom and I of course. Lizzie and Emma who were sharing a room for the night having retired a little earlier.

“This” said Tom happily “has been the best weekend for a long time. Thank you so much Darling, it’s been everything I wanted and more”

I coloured as I normally did when being praised for just doing what needed to be done, and of course it got even worse when everyone added their compliments to Tom’s.

“So how does it feel to be a member of ‘The Married Club’?” Hems asked.

Tom’s response was immediate; he pulled me closer, kissed me deeply and said “So good I wish we’d been able to do this months ago!”

Everyone giggled, knowing exactly what he meant. Ben and Sophie particularly had that glow only newlyweds seem to give off and now Tom and I felt the same. I saw Ben glance around at our hands; everyone still had a small amount of whatever they’d been drinking in their glasses.

“I propose one final toast” he announced. “To all of us, ‘The Married Club’, may we always be here for each other” he swept his hand expansively around our little group and I saw that he’d included Louise and Steve which pleased me no end.

“The Married Club” we all echoed as we raised our glasses and took the obligatory sip.

“I mean it you know?” Ben continued “this is a good group of friends as we should always remain that way”

He was right, of course. Tom had been friend with Hems for only a little longer that he had been with Ben, but that wasn’t a patch on what Louise and I had. I knew we’d all have need of support as our lives progressed but I also knew I could trust everyone around me to have the other’s best interest at heart too.

Finally even or little party split up, making their way to their respective rooms, or in Louise and Steve’s case home, as they lived relatively close. Tom and I made our way once more to the reception desk to pick up our room key. As coincidence would have it, it was the same receptionist what had greeted us on two of our previous visits and although we didn’t spend long exchanging pleasantries it was nice to be able to see her and thank her for all of her help. With the key safely in Tom’s hand, his other hand around my waist and mine around his, my free hand picked up my excess skirt to make the journey upstairs easier. It was only a short walk to the bridal suite and as Tom unlocked the door I made to step through, totally used to him always letting me go first. To my surprise though he stopped me with a hand on my arm and lifted me effortlessly into his arms.

“Tom!” I gasped “What are you doing?”

“I would have thought that was obvious Darling, I’m carrying you over the threshold! And I’m going to get to do it twice more” he added with obvious relish.

“Twice?” I queried before he could take a step.

“Of course” he smiled “First time at the cottage and again at the apartment and every time we move for as long as I can manage it from here on in.” With that he took the one step that took us into the room, kissing me as he did so and I kissed him back with equal devotion.

Setting my feet gently on the floor he kept me in his arms and gazed adoringly into my eyes. “You looked absolutely stunning today Darling. This dress is perfect for you.”

“You looked wonderful too Love” I answered “but then you know I’m a sucker for you in a three piece?”

Tom smiled “I do now. There is just one more question though Darling”

“And what’s that?”

“How ‘exactly’ do I get you out of it?”

 

The Beginning……..

 

Tom and Jackie will return in Forever and Always :-)


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